Running has always come easy for Dr. KH Ramesh, a lifelong athlete who excelled in field hockey and soccer during his college days in Bangalore, India. Climbing mountains, however, has never been in his wheelhouse. But when his daughters Amrita, 29, and Brinda, 27—passionate wilderness backpackers—invited him on a 14-day trek in the Himalayas, Dr. Ramesh, age 68, half-jokingly agreed.
The sisters often trek together. Amrita, an MD-PhD student at the University of Chicago, and Brinda, who works remotely for a healthcare technology company, recently hiked the Zion Narrows, a 16-mile trek through a 2,000 ft. deep canyon that requires wading for miles through the Virgin River.
In 2023, the sisters decided to trek in the Himalayas and invited their dad, the director of Clinical Cytogenetics and CytoGenomics and professor of pathology at Montefiore Einstein, to join. "My daughters knew about my longstanding fascination with Mount Everest, fueled by countless documentaries showcasing its triumphs and tragedies," Dr. Ramesh said.
What started as a playful suggestion quickly turned into a serious commitment. Dr. Ramesh saw it as a priceless opportunity to bond with his daughters and share their love for sports and adventure.
Brinda, KH, and Amrita Ramesh at Gokyo Lake Side Lodge the day before the big climb to Ri (17,575 ft).
Trekking through the Bronx
By August, Dr. Ramesh began preparing for the 55-mile trek, which would take them from Lukla to Gokyo Ri, the most expansive viewpoint of Mount Everest and other towering mountains. At lunchtime, he began walking near his office and lab in the Montefiore Medical Park, which is near Weiler Hospital on the Einstein campus.
"Every day, I would load my backpack with 30 to 40 pounds of books and spend my lunch hour walking for about 45 minutes," Dr. Ramesh said. By October, the Westchester Country resident was hiking on weekends with a weighted backpack in Cold Spring, NY, and other nearby areas. In the evenings, he lifted weights and ran on the treadmill. After gearing up at REI, he was ready to go by April despite persistent bouts of anxiety.
Dr. Ramesh with guide Chitra Gurung as they begin their four-day trek in the stunning Annapurna Conservation Area.
A Practice Trek Before the Big One
Upon landing in Kathmandu, Nepal, in mid-April, Dr. Ramesh had a few days to acclimate before his daughters arrived. Carrying a 45-pound backpack, he and his 42-year-old guide, Chitra Gurung, set out on a four-day trek in the stunning Annapurna Conservation Area. Their journey took them from Bhirethanthi to Poon Hill, a famous viewpoint for the breathtaking Annapurna I, II, III, and IV mountains, part of the majestic Annapurna Massif in North Central Nepal. On day two, they left at 3 a.m., in freezing weather, donning headlamps in total darkness for their climb to the Poon Hill summit (10,500 ft) to watch the glorious sunrise over Annapurna I (26,545 ft). Despite battling minor altitude sickness, the arduous trek was worthwhile. "Seeing the orange and blue flames coming from the Annapurna Mountain range was stunning," Dr. Ramesh said.
The Big Trek
Dr. Ramesh had already trekked up and down 25 miles when his daughters arrived the following week. Exhausted but excited, he was ready to begin the 12-day trek with Amrita, Brinda, and their two young guides, Bhimsen Dhakal and 20-year-old Akash Thapa. Starting in the small town of Lukla, their stops included Phakding, in the valley of the Dudh Kosi River, and Namche Bazaar, a small, colorful market town situated on the slope of an arch-shaped mountain with amazing views of giant snow-covered Himalayan peaks from anywhere in the valley. The Ramesh family gave chocolates they brought from the US to the local children and had their first view of Everest and Lhotse from the Namche Observation Point (11,400 ft). "The landscape was majestic, unlike anything I had ever seen," Dr. Ramesh said. "Standing there looking at Everest was surreal."
They hiked between 8 and 10 miles daily through blustering winds and dusty trails, navigating around caravans of yaks and donkeys that could quickly push a trekker over the cliff if they stood too close to the edge.
Evening Wind Down
The Ramesh family and their guides spent nights in local tea houses. The small hotels—Bhatti in Nepalese—offer a place to sleep and home-cooked meals. Most have a communal dining hall heated for a few hours in the evenings by a central stove—or yak-dung burner. At higher elevations, basic amenities were scarce. The bathrooms were often outside. The Ramesh family and their guides endured frigid temperatures, ranging from minus 5 to minus 10 degrees Celsius at night, and went 12 days without showering. Advised by their team not to eat meat or cheese, Dr. Ramesh ate mostly soup, spaghetti, protein bars, and ibuprofen for muscle fatigue.
The evenings were a chance to unwind, socialize, and bond. After dinner, Dr. Ramesh, his daughters, Bhimsen, and Akash—who called him "papa"—would hang out. "We were all like one big family, playing cards, telling stories, and cutting jokes," he said. It was priceless and such a fun time."
Dr. Ramesh handing out chocolates to children at Namche Bazaar.
Overcoming Mountain Sickness
One night in Namche Bazaar, Dr. Ramesh had a near-crisis. "I woke up to go to the bathroom and was breathing so heavily and started shaking badly," he said. An ibuprofen helped stabilize him after about an hour. The following morning, his daughters looked at their dad and said, "You're not going any further," he said. They insisted he needed a day of rest and patiently waited a day to continue their climb.
From Namche Bazaar, the route passed through Phortse Tenga, Dhole, Machhermo, and Gokyo (15,580 ft.). At 3 a.m., with headlamps and wearing extra layers to ward off the freezing night air, they started their climb from Gokyo to the summit of Ri (17,575 ft). Amrita and Brinda reached the summit shortly after sunrise, with their father trailing about three hours behind. Dr. Ramesh was about three-quarters of the way to the viewpoint when he stopped to witness the breathtaking sunrise over the glistening lakes and giant glaciers of Mount Everest (29,032 ft.), Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu mountains. Then, he continued climbing until he reached the summit of Mount Ri.
Brinda remembers that moment of triumph well. "My sister and I were sitting at the Ri summit, and we could see the trekkers winding up the path below us," she recalled. "Suddenly, we recognized our dad's distinctive green hat in the distance, clambering his way up with our guide. We were so happy to see him and thought, 'He's going to reach the top!'" she said.
For Amrita, that happy moment was about paying her dad's goodwill forward. "Our parents have been so supportive of me and Brinda and have given us everything we have ever asked for," she said. "It was a very moving experience to give back to our dad by encouraging him to pursue his dream of trekking in the Himalayas and physically supporting him."
An Unplanned Finale
The family's joy was electric—but short-lived. The night they completed the incredible trek to Gokyo Ri, three days before departing Nepal, all three Rameshes came down with bad food poisoning, which set them back two days. With the Lukla airport closed due to bad weather, Dr. Ramesh, Amrita, and Brinda had to hike 10 hours to the nearest road and then endure a 19-hour jeep ride to reach the airport in Kathmandu. A 30-minute plane ride turned into a nearly 30-hour ordeal.
Despite the unexpected ending, the final leg of their adventure is one that Amrita cherishes most. "My favorite memory was of us three, riddled with food poisoning at the tail end of the trip, sitting in a cafe in Lukla (9,383 ft) and dazedly watching helicopters take stranded trekkers back down the mountain," she said. "We had finished what we aimed to accomplish and looked comically unwell. Now, in classic Type 2 fun fashion, seeing how energized and excited my dad was after the trek and reliving our adventures from the comfort of lower elevation was so enjoyable."
Never Look Up
By the journey's end, Dr. Ramesh had climbed to nearly 18,000 feet and trekked about 100 miles, surviving daily bouts of mountain sickness and muscle fatigue.
On days when he thought he couldn't go any further, Dr. Ramesh remembered advice from a seasoned trekker from France whom he met on the way to Poon Hill. "She said, 'Never look up at the mountains ahead of you because you will feel defeated,'" recalled Dr. Ramesh. "It's all a mind game; you have to know when not to move forward and have the humility to turn back or stay put."
Ramesh lab members from (L to R): Mahnaz Zohouri, Jacyntha Thomas, Alex Brown tracked his journey.
It Takes a Village
Dr. Ramesh acknowledges that achieving this challenging but rewarding life experience was a team effort.
Among his many supporters, Dr. Ramesh credits colleague Louis M. Weiss, MD, MPH, for keeping him safe in body and mind. In addition to giving him the necessary vaccines, Dr. Weiss, a professor of pathology and medicine (infectious diseases) and director of the Einstein Global Health Center, offered him practical tips for dealing with altitude sickness, staying hydrated, and managing the psychological stresses of a challenging trek. He is also expresses gratitude to Golda Hudes, MD, PhD, a professor in the Montefiore Einstein department of medicine (allergy and immunology), who offered him sage advice and prescribed precautionary medication.
Looking back, Dr. Ramesh will never forget the warm hospitality of the local Nepalese people, the region's natural beauty, and the experiences he shared with trekkers he met from around the globe.
Above all, he will forever cherish the opportunity to spend time with Amrita and Brinda and share their passion for hiking and adventure. "It was a chance to build an emotional and spiritual connection with my daughters," Dr. Ramesh said. "They were there for me every step of the way."
Dr. Ramesh at the summit of Ri (17,575 ft), with the majestic peaks of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Nuptse towering behind the glacier.
Dr. Ramesh also acknowledges the following people for their care, support and help on this successful journey: Pathology department chair Dr. Michael Prystowsky and executive vice chair Dr. Amy Fox, for their support and concern; his family, friends, and lab personnel, including Jacyntha Thomas, Mahnaz Zohouri, Alex Brown, Jacob Marianovsky, Susan Arthur, and Christina Langhorne; his team on the ground: Madhab Lamsal, team lead and founder of Cherry Garden Treks and Expedition in Pokhara, for instructing his guides, Chitra Gurung (Trial Trek), Bhimsen Dhakal, and 20-year-old Akash Thapa.
Posted on: Tuesday, July 02, 2024
